A busy family's quest to be better prepared to eat on a budget while thinking about the food that they put into their bodies.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Tudor House Pub

Date night! We had a Groupon to the Tudor House Pub in Esquimalt ($18 for an appy and 2 entrees).

And the most awesome thing happened: we got IDed! Can you believe it? I got the impression that they were cracking down, maybe because of a recent violation, and were IDing the majority of patrons. But it felt awesome, especially since I am largely pregnant and haggard.

This establishment has some checkmarks and some little single dashes.

Firstly, in the dash column, the decor is blech, but that is pub-style, and I wont hold it against them. We actually did find a nice place to sit under a window where it was brighter than other parts of the pub. Actually, it had a feel very similar, as well as similar clientele to he JBI pub.

It the checkmark column is the staff and the menu. Our waitress was friendly, speedy, and helpful. What more could you want there? As for the menu: it is interesting. Unfortunately, I felt like I was going to hurl, so not everything seemed appealing.

I really hate to say this, but I have to put the food in the negative column, or at least written across the centre line.

Our appy, calamari, was really good. It had a bit of an Asian twist. Lots of dangly legs, which our both of our favourites.

Our entrees though....

We were sharing, and so I ordered the beef brisket. This is why my picture is so weird. No, they do no serve the brisket with a piece of fish.

The beef was excellent, the coleslaw was interesting, and the fries were good (although, please, just give us a damn bottle of ketchup instead of those dinky cups). It was the cornbread that was just awful. Who knows, maybe it was good, but the kitchen manager let it come out TOTALLY burnt, and all I could taste was fire.

We also ordered the 2 piece cod and chips. Again, checkmarks for fries and coleslaw. The fish get s HUGE thumbs down though. The batter was so thick that it didn't really cook through, and was a gooey, doughy mess. I tried to take a close-up picture, and if you can see, the tiny fish is in the middle and the batter is crazy. Also, once I took the batter off, the fish was very rubbery.

Anyway, it wasn't an awful experience. I would go back with friends if they invited me, but I am not going to choose to go here over other places or suggest this place to anyone.

Sorry, Tudor, I really tried to like you!

Can I add one thing, a little off topic. When I read Urbanspoon, which I often do, as food porn gets better with pregnancy, I really appreciate how the manager addressed peoples' concerns. To me, that shows they value their customers and the business they bring in.

1 comment:

Firstly, congratulations on your upcoming addition to the family. My wife and I are also expecting. Hopefully, you’ll be able to get back to The Tudor House after the baby is born and ready to spend a few hours away from mom.Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the calamari & brisket!We're proud of our food and service at The Tudor House. It is our goal to go above and beyond a normal pub menu to offer regular pub fare with a twist as well as some things you wouldn't normally see in a pub. Shepherd's Pie, Chorizo Mac & Cheese, The Big Pig, Grande Nachos and the Calamari are some of the regular pub menu items with a twist, while the Prawn & Pork Bahn Mi, Bacon Popcorn, Ramen Bowl, Scotch Egg, West Coast Bowl, Tuna Sushi Bites, and Miso Baked Oysters are some items that you would rarely see on a regular pub menu.Ian Dufton, our Head Chef (former Executive Chef of The Canoe Brew Pub), and I took over the management of The Tudor House approximately one year ago. In this time, we have revamped the food and drink menu, while striving for amazing service. While our first year is done, year two will see a kitchen renovation, to step up the level of food once again, followed by a small renovation of the interior and the exterior in the years following.The focus for the following year is to further bump up our service, so you leave The Tudor saying, "That service truly went above and beyond," and to further improve our quality and consistency with our food.While we have made great strides in the past year, we are still striving to go from "Good to Great" and that's where your constructive criticism on the fish and cornbread will help.I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the fish or cornbread. It looks as if your fish batter was made too think. The chef and I will discuss this with the staff and possibly "tweek" the recipe to ensure a better quality. We will do the same with the cornbread.Thanks again for your review. Please send me an email, I would love to further discuss with you how we can serve you and all of our guests even better.